Street Fighter : Side Story
by Lyrix of Azn Ethix
Summary: Shadowlaw decides to set up a beachhead in the eastern United States. The organization decides to find and draw out fresh fighters. Updated: New fighter!!!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
South Bronx, NYC  
  
Streetball courtyard-  
  
A clean and friendly game of streetball has recently ended. Team members and opponents leaned near the fences to let two of the people fight it out. Standing on his team's side of the basketball court was Tomas Altagracia, a local of the South Bronx basketball community. Standing there, Tomas had his streetball gear on. He wasn't planning on fighting anything or anyone today. Looking up, the sky was still shining with hardly a single cloud in the sky.  
  
Slowly removing his bandana from his head, Tomas examined it slowly before looking at his opponent. Looking at the bandana again, Tomas could see the flag of one country that made part of his nationality. It was the Cuban flag, as Tomas rolled it up and tied it around his head. In honor of one of his idols, Tomas decided to wear his lucky bandana Tupac style. Tomas' skin was slightly tanned with his hair short but course like a black person's. Slowly, Tomas untucked his shirt with the flag of Dominican republic on the front. Looking down, Tomas pulled the left pant leg of his Reebok athletic pants upward some.  
  
In front of him was a caucasian women that looked out of place in this neighborhood. Narrowing his eyes some, Tomas could tell that she wasn't around here. Standing there several feet away from Tomas, was the woman who rudely interrupted the game of streetball. To Tomas, this wasn't going to look good in the eyes of the people he does volunteer work for. The woman had long wavy blonde hair with a few white streaks. From the neck down to the waist, she wore a tight navy blue spandex tanktop. She had a very nice chest, looked like a C cup, which kind of distracted everybody else. Waist down to the legs, she was wearing tight leather pants which make squeaking sounds when she moved.  
  
"Mmmm, this is too good to be true...", Tomas thought to himself as he slowly shifted into his fighting stance. He couldn't see the eyes of that woman since she had shades over them. Kneeling down some, she slowly removed her shades and placed them down on the asphault basketball court. While getting ready to fight this woman, Tomas was also admiring her looks at the same time. Standing back up, she shifted into her fighting stance. "Aye, I've studied your style young boy..."  
  
"Whoa, you got an accent too. Man, I knew you were too good to be true...", Tomas jokingly replied as he got into his stance. Narrowing her eyes, the woman said, "I'm sorry, but I have orders to eliminate you." "Who wants to kill me?", Tomas asked the foreign woman. Judging by her accent, Tomas knew that she was Irish. "Is it Lucky the Leprecaun, because I stole his Lucky Charms?", he sarcastically asked the woman. Sounds of laughter followed shortly from Tomas' basketball buddies.  
  
"Orders are from Shadowlaw...", the woman said as she ran towards Tomas. Breaking stance, Tomas didn't pay attention to her as he went loudly, "Shadow-who?" By the time Tomas finished his question, she was a few feet away from him. Making her right hand like a knife, she lauched it upwards hoping to put out Tomas' left eye. Noticing what she planned to do, Tomas quickly bent back just in time to see her hand fly over his face. Her long and sharp cherry painted fingernails was just an inch away from his eye.  
  
Quickly blinking a few times, Tomas quickly stepped back some and looked at the woman. He was in a bit of disbelief of what she tried to do to him. "Oh, you're being serious?", Tomas jokingly asked her. "Aye, and you're not... You men are all alike...", the woman coldly replied back to Tomas. Crossing his arms, Tomas looked at the woman and asked, "Hey, before we continue this, what's your name?" Tapping his foot a few times afterwards, Tomas waited for her reply. Still in her attack stance, she left out, "Name's Katrina, I'm from Dublin, Ireland..."  
  
Smiling some, the name sounded very nice. "Katrina, sounds exotic. I like that...", Tomas replied back complementing her. Smirking at Tomas' remark, Katrina replied to that statement with, "You know how to flatter a lady; but, flattery gets you nowhere." "Heh, figures. Ah hell, thought I'd give it a try." Running at Tomas, Katrina yelled out, "No more talk!!!", and started to attack. As she aimed for the eyes and throat area, Tomas kept backing away and side dodging.  
  
Bending back some, Tomas waited for the right moment for Katrina to try and strike his left eye again. Constantly trying to attack Tomas, Katrina did exactly as he predicted and anticipated. Quickly, she tried that move again as she tried to put out his left eye. Avoiding it just in time, Tomas countered as he used both hands and grabbed Katrina's wrist. "What?", Katrina asked all of a sudden as Tomas kept a tight grip on her wrist. Bending back some, he used Katrina's momentum against her. Before falling on the ground back first, Tomas released Katrina, catapulting her to the other side.  
  
Leaping back up, Tomas quickly turned around to see Katrina performing a few backflips upon landing. "Ooooooooh...", replied the crowd as they witnessed a fight between two highly skilled martial artists. "Damn, she ain't jiving me...", Tomas thought to himself. He stood there at six foot three while she was about five foot six. But Tomas learned not to judge people by height or weight, but by fighting skill alone. "Talon slash!!!", Katrina replied as she dashed at Tomas, while scatching the air in front of her. It created a trail of glowing ki as Tomas blocked with his left forearm.  
  
"Shit!", Tomas yelled as he looked to see his forearm bleeding. "Damn girl, that hurt...", Tomas told her. Ignoring what Tomas told her, Katrina went at Tomas with another technique, "Double Strike", as she poked him in the ribs. Backing away some, Tomas held himself knowing that attack hurt really bad. For some reason, Tomas wasn't taking this seriously when she should. "Still not taking this seriously?", Katrina asked him.  
  
"Hadoken!!!!!!!!", Tomas yelled as he placed both palms together and thrust them forward. A ball of energy erupted from the palms making a bright purple light. That technique seemed to shock his friends as they were left speechless. Seeing the fireball flying right at her, Katrina quickly dived to the left as she rolled upon landing. Getting up, Katrina looked up to see Tomas standing there. "My turn...", he told Katrina.  
  
Taking his chance, Tomas attacked with a spin kick, followed by a spinning hook kick. Both kicks successfully connected with Katrina's head, as she got knocked to her left side. Running at Katrina, Tomas attacked with another series of kicks. Part by part, he connected with her right leg, her arms, her chest, and her ribs. "Eagle Slash!!!", replied Katrina who spun around in a 180 degree motion to face Tomas. Quickly raising her hand up, she brought them down as she slashed Toma's shirt. "Hey, that's my favorite shirt!", Tomas yelled at her. "Ciclon del Dragon!!!", yelled Tomas as he jumped up in the air spinning around doing a modified version of the hurricane kick.  
  
After getting hit by another of Tomas techniques, Katrina fell to the ground. Slowly getting up, she stood there several feet away from Tomas. Looking at how dangerous Katrina can be, Tomas would have to end this fight as soon as possible. "Listen Lady, it's one in the afternoon. We're hungry. So, you gotta be loco if you won't let us eat...", Tomas told an angered Katrina. Balling her left hand into a fist, Katrina lunged at Tomas again. This time, she seriously powered up as she unleashed her super technique. "Flaming Talon!!!!!", she yelled as her right hand caught fire as she made a vertical slash at Tomas, who backflipped on top of the fence. Impacting with the fence, she made it catch on fire.  
  
Seeing the fence get caught on fire, a cop car quickly turned on its sirens and headed towards the streetball courts. Hearing the sirens, Katrina looked at the incoming cops and then to Tomas. Narrowing her eyes, she had this one thing to say to Tomas. "You were lucky this time, Tomas...", she said as she backed away; she finished off with, "Don't count on another, young boy..." and then ran off through the alley. Standing there, Tomas turned around to see the cop car parked in front of the entrance as the two officers rushed inside. "Man, not my day...", Tomas said as she shook his head.  
  
Looking at a distance was Chun-Li Xiang; the Chinese Interpol agent, who has been trying to take down Shadowlaw for a long time. Witnessing this event, her eyes narrowed keeping an eye on the young Tomas. "Chun-Li, who are you looking at?", asked Guile who stood next to her, while holding two cups of coffee. Looking back at Guile, Chun-Li grinned. "His name is Tomas, he had his first run in with a Shadowlaw operative. He's good, he has the same style of Ken and Ryu..."  
  
"Heh, that oughta be interesting...", he replied as he took a few sips of his hot coffee. Shrugging her shoulders, Chun-Li added with, "He still needs to take things seriously though..." At the same time, Tomas was finished being interrogated by the cops as him and several of his friends left the courts. Bowing their heads, they were disappointed that Katrina had to interrupt the game. They were even one point close to winning. Tomas led the way as he dribbled his basketball. "Yo, that was good!", replied his young Basketball student, Steve; who was hopping up and down.  
  
"Who was that lady?", asked Bobby. Looking up, Tomas shrugged his shoulders as a sign that he didn't know at all. All Tomas knew was that she was white, she was Irish, and she was hot. The group laughed it off as it was only a mere memory. "Who's in the mood for some Mexican?", asked Tomas. "What, you buying?", jokingly asked one of Tomas friends. "What, you serious? I almost get my ass whooped and now I have to buy?", Tomas asked in replied as they continued laughing. "Yep, he has potential...", said Guile as he continued to observe Tomas at a distance.  
  
Harlem-  
  
Apartment Complex-  
  
Max was in his blue sleeveless karate gi, the shirt was slighly undone. He laid there looking up at the ceiling. A tall and slender African American male who was surrounded by empty beer bottles. In front of him was his computer, right now it was looking up information on the person known as 'Akuma'. Only few people ever faced Akuma and Max hoped that he would be the next one, and life to tell about it. There was a book case next to the computer desk with books on Shotokan style Karate. This was how Max Robinson learned the style.  
  
He remembered one night several years back as he walked down a dark alley. Passing by an old warehouse, he heard sounds coming from inside. Running around, Max found a window. Looking through, he saw one man who would forever change his life; Ryu Hoshi. Max could remember what he looked like. A tall and muscular Japanese man with a ripped sleeveless gi top with white gi pants. To Max's eyes, the man was amazing. He witnessed the moves pulled off by Ryu, who quickly defeated his opponent.  
  
"To be like, Ryu...", Max said to himself as he looked up at the ceiling. It too was a peaceful day for him. Looking outside, he could see people playing out on the streets or people sitting in front of someone's doorsteps. Him on the otherhand, laid in his bed thinking about if he would ever come face to face with Akuma. Getting up, Max slipped out of his Karate gi and put on something more comfortable. Opening his drawers, Max pulled out a pair of red and black Fubu shorts and slipped them on. They felt so loose and nice, just the way Max liked his shorts and pants. Pulling out a Mack Ecko shirt, Max placed that on and went downstairs.  
  
It was time for Max to meet up with his fiance, who was waiting in the park. Slipping on his Nike shoes and NY Yankees cap, Max locked the door to his apartment and ran down the stairs. Making it down the stairs to outside the apartment complex, Max slowly walked towards his Blue Toyota Celica GT-A. After meeting his fiance in Central Park for a brief bit, it would be time for Max to get to work. Max and some of his friends at the Tuskegee University in Alabama several years back put their heads together and started a art and design business.  
  
Max would also use that time to advertise their small but growing business. Opening the trunk of his car, Max examined the cardboard boxes full of black t-shirts with their logo. 'Urban Shoto', was the name of the company as Max himself put out the design. On the front, it said "Mess with da best...", with a group of people rushing a person in a karate gi. "Y'know da story...", with the same person standing over a pile of injured thugs. "Well, time to get to work...", Max said to himself. Closing the trunk, Max walked to the driver's side and unlocked the door. Stepping in, Max took his seat and adjusted the rearview mirror.  
  
"Shit...", saying to himself as his hair was uneven. Getting his comb from the glove compartment, Max combed the hair back to the clean flat top it once was. Placing the comb back, Max took his shades out and slipped them back on. Putting the key inside, Max turned it slowly as he started up the ignition. He could hear that loud and soft purr of the engine. Turning his head back, Max slowly checked to see if any cars came passing by. Seeing that there were none, he went ahead and turned the steering wheel a bit and gently press his foot on the pedal.  
  
Driving down the street, Max could see many of his neighbors wave at him. In return, Max honked the horn of his car. Looking at his MP3 player hooked to his audio system, Max used his right hand while keeping his left on the steering wheel to select what song he wanted. The song he then selected was 'Are We Cuttin' by Pastor Troy. Relaxing a bit, Max felt in the mood as the music was booming all inside the car. Seeing a clear and open road, Max went ahead and hit the gas. Another thing Max had to think about was the wedding for him and his fiance Kia.  
  
"Damn, Kia's gonna bust my chops for wedding preparations....", thinking to himself. He loved Kia a whole lot and would sacrifice his main dream to stay with her. The goal was to do battle against the one named Akuma. During the years in college, Max has been reading books and watching tapes on the style of Shotokan. It drove to Max teaching himself that style. Instead of partying with his friends, Max stayed in the dorm or went out to some quiet area to train and practice. When he was twenty years of age, Max was able to shoot his first hadoken.  
  
Hopefully, Max would complete his dream before getting married to Kia. He could remember the first time they ever set eyes on each other. A year and a half back at an R&B club in Harlem, it was Max and a couple of friends. Also there was Max's friendly rival, Tomas, who resided in South Bronx. Both men were highly versed in the art of Shotokan Karate. They were like the urban ghetto version of Ken Masters and Ryu Hoshi. Tomas worked as a bouncer to make cash while he worked at the youth center as a tutor, basketball coach, and a mentor.  
  
Flashback-  
  
Year and a half ago-  
  
Max was completely bored out of his mind; he sat there at the bar constantly ordering rounds of Coca-Cola. People on both sides of the bar counter looked at Max funny. They wondered why he ordered soda instead of ordering something like tequila or some beer. Max wasn't the drinking type since he didn't want to do anything bad to his body. He was dressed in black dress pants and black Fubu shoes, with a leather belt with gold buckle around his waist. He wore a blue and white short sleeved dress shirt with silk vest over it. Around his neck was a gold necklace with a cross in the front.  
  
He rather be back at home training his ass off instead of being at the club. A figure slowly approached a contemplative Max, who was about to just leave his friends behind and go home. The person placed his hand on Max's right shoulder. Noticing a feeling of warmth on his right shoulder, Max slowly turned around to see if it was one of his friends. "Jay-Jay, if that's you... I'm gonna...", Max said as he turned around. Max's eyes widened to see that it wasn't Jay-Jay but a woman looking at him. "Going to what?", the woman asked softly.  
  
"My bad, I thought you were Jay-Jay...", Max nervously replied. The feeling of wanting to go back home instantly went away as he looked at her. She stood there at five foot seven with a nice thin and slender body. Her legs looked so nice also. Light chocolate skin, red lip stick, hazel and almond like eyes, and long golden brown hair with thin braids. She looked very beautiful to Max's eyes. She was wearing a tank top and black miniskirt. Slowly, she approached Max. "Well, seems like you're also alone here...", the young light skinned African American woman told Max.  
  
"Um, doesn't look it anymore...", he replied back to her. Looking upward, Max could see his friend Jay-Jay singing kareoke of a Kaci and Jojo song. Turning back, he looked at the woman. "What brings you here also?", Max asked the woman. Taking a seat next to Max, she smiled at him and said, "The usual, bunch of my girlfriends asked me to go..." Max added with, "I know, same with me..." Smiling, she asked, "What's your name?" Leaning back some, Max went, "Um, Max. Max Robinson." "I'm Kia, Kia Simms.", the woman replied back to Max. Kia sounded so nice to a person like her.  
  
"I was about to leave, but I changed my mind...", Max told Kia, who replied with, "Oh? What were you planning to do?" Sipping his soda, Max went, "Practicing and training..." "Training for what?", Kia gently asked the young man. Cracking his neck some, Max told her, "I constantly train in Shotokan Karate." Interested in what Max was saying, Kia sat up some wanting to know more. "Why the martial arts?", she asked him. Before Max could answer, there was something going on at another table.  
  
"What in the....". Max said softly as he stood up to see what was going on. A group of thugs tried to have their way with a few young eighteen year old college or highschool students. They were screaming and trying to get free of the these people who wanted their way with them. "Max, what's going on?", Kia asked. Shaking his head, Max said, "Oh, this ain't right..." "Stay right here, this won't take long...", Max told Kia as he left his seat heading to the group of thugs. "Max, what are you doing?", Kia asked and saw what he was planning to do. "Max, no!!!", Kia yelled but decided to do what Max requested.  
  
A group of rich thugs sat at their private booth trying to do things to the young girls. Standing in front of them was Tomas, who was the bouncer. "Hey homes, we don't need your kind here...", Tomas told the group of thugs. Tomas stood there wearing a black shirt, black bandana 2Pac style, black Lugz boots, and long black and loose fit jeans. Getting up from his booth was the leader of the group. He tall and muscular black man who stood there at six foot three. Same height as Tomas but bigger in muscle mass. "Tyrone!!! I knew it was you...", Max went out as he stood next to Tomas.  
  
Adjusting his shades, Tyrone looked to his right to see an angered Max Robinson standing there. "Oh look, it's Max!", Tyrong replied as he turned back towards Tomas. "Hey immigrant, better wait your ass back outside if you know what's good for you...", Tyrone threateningly implied to Tomas, who wouldn't budge. "What are you deaf?", Tyrone asked as he got up in Tomas' face. Looking at Max, Tomas went, "Go back and have fun, I got this handled..." Refusing, Max said, "Uh, uh... I have some beef with Tyrone and his flunkies."  
  
"Max, don't!!!", Kia went as she ran to Max's side. Looking at Kia, Tyrone went, "Dayam, you got yourself a nice piece of ass..." That remark seemed to anger Kia some. Tyrong kept going at it as he continued with, "Leave this reject and come sit with me...", as he smiled some and finished off with, "Do you give good head...?" That remark angered Kia, who smacked Tyrone across the face. Feeling his shades leave his face, Tyrone's complexion slowly shifted to somebody really pissed off. In and outburst, Tyrone yelled, "Guys, fuck those two up!!!"  
  
Suddenly, Tyrone's men who were dressed in all black, like upperclass thugs stood up. Slowly, each men took out pocket knives. Seeing the shimmering of the knives, the club patrons quickly jetted from the club. Watching two thugs rush at him, Tomas quickly brought his palms together and shot them out again yelling "Hadoken!!!!" A glowing energy fireball shot out from his palms and impacted with the two thugs. Being hit by Tomas' fireball, the two thugs hit and crashed through the wall. Standing outside was everybody, who wanted to want this brawl. "You know Shotokan too?" Max asked Tomas, who was preoccupied with other things.  
  
Jumping up, Max turned his body in a 180 degree motion and executed a jump back kick to the side of another thug, who got knocked to the ground immediately Standing in the crowd was Kia, concerned for the safety of both Max and Tomas. "Boo-yah Kick!!!!!!", yelled Tomas as he executed a high side thrust kick to another thug, which resulted in a flash of energy and light. Max yelled out "Shoryuken!!!!!!" as he executed a powerful dragon punch to three thugs at once. "Ciclon Del Dragon!!!", yelled Tomas as he did a Dragon Cyclone kick to another thug.  
  
Keeping his back against the wall, Max was approached by four other thugs. Stepping forward, Max executed a spinning hook kick to one thug, and continued this pattern with three more spinning hook kicks. In a matter of seconds, all four thugs in front of Max were knocked down. The crowd was cheering for both Tomas and Max, who weren't afraid of a bunch of criminals. With all the thugs knocked down, Tyrone came out all pissed off. Looking at Tomas, Tyrone placed on his brass knuckles. Turning to Tyrone, Tomas took out his basketball and channeled his ki energy into it. Charging up, Tomas was getting ready to charge up his super technique.  
  
"Is he thinking of what of I'm thinking...", Max asked himself. Tomas' basketball started to glow white as his feet started to catch fire as well. "What the hell...?", Tyrone asked but just stood there to see what Tomas had planned. "Hang time hadou slam!!!!!!!!!", Tomas burst out as he rocketed off the ground. He was twelve feet above the ground as he spun around in circles in a horizontal fashion. Kia's eyes widened to see a person being capable of pulling off such techniques. "Not bad, not bad at all...", Max complimented.  
  
Looking up, Tyrone quickly backed away. He realized what Tomas was doing. Landing, Tomas brought his basket ball down like he performed a slam dunk. Slamming the ball to the ground, an explosion of energy followed. A crevice on the street was formed while Tyrone was knocked several feet back. Quickly getting up, Tyrone was about to fight until he heard police sirens. "I'm gonna get payback on both of y'all!!!!", he yelled at both Max and Tomas before running off. Running out, the manager looked at Tomas and said, "You're fired!!!!" Now being liable, Max and Tomas ran in separate directions. Quickly, Kia ran after Max. From then on, Max and Kia started seeing each other and Tomas was now out of a job.  
  
End Flashback-  
  
Arriving at the park, Max parked his Celica and stepped out. Looking across from him was Kia, who was busy practicing her Tai Chi excercises. After watching Max take on those thugs, she started taking Tai Chi several months later, when she had the chance. Opening the back of his car, Max took out a box of t-shirts with the business logo on. Closing the trunk, Max carried the box on his left shoulder as he headed over to Kia. Turning to see Max, she stopped immediately and ran towads him. "Max...", Kia said as she placed her arms around his waist and delivered a kiss.  
  
Breaking the kiss, Max smiled and replied, "I love you too..." Dropping the box on the ground, Max placed his arms around Kia and spun around a few times. Letting Kia go, Max went ahead and picked the box back up. Opening the box, Max pulled out a t-shirt, giving it to Kia. "Oh what's this? You expect me to help advertise for you?", Kia jokingly told Max as she softly jabbed him in the side. "Anyway, we have to see the wedding planner tomorrow.", she told Max. "Wedding planner? Oh, right...", Max replied back to his fiance.  
  
"So, up for dinner tonight?", Max asked Kia. "Dinner? Where at? Better not be at that soul food place.", she demanded of Max. "Uh, um, dayam...", Max replied as he shook his head. "No offense, I love the food. But Max, we ate there ten times straight for the last two months.", she stated to him. "Oh, you're right...", Max replied. "Let's try something new.", Kia kindly suggested. "Well, there's this new Japanese restaurant that opened. "Alright, let's try that.", Kia said as she smiled to her fiance and soon to be husband. "Max, after the wedding, no more trying to find this 'Akuma', ok.", Kia told Max while making quotations with her fingers on the word Akuma.  
  
Warehouse District, Hong Kong-  
  
It was night time, as a young man was running for his life. He was a caucasian man who had short brown hair with medium length bangs in the front. The man had a beard which grew over the days on the run. His face was covered in sweat from the constant running and hiding. What was he running from? Only that man knew. His name was Sergeant Axel Exley, Shadowlaw Special Forces. He's been on the run from his former employers for several weeks now. Axel has been cornered in the warehouse district by four of Shadowlaw's elite soldiers.  
  
"Come on out, Axel...", replied a man with a thick Australian accent. "Crow...", Axel whispered to himself. "Them four...", thinking to himself. He would have a hard time eluding and escaping the four of them. Those several weeks back, Axel was a proud soldier of the Shadowlaw forces. But all that seemed to change as he slowly started to develop potential of Psycho power. That went noticed by M. Bison, who could use Axel as a new shell. From then on, Axel has been on the run from Shadowlaw's elite. Axel still has his Shadowlaw uniform on but with the emblem ripped off.  
  
"Damn, I have to lose them...", Axel thought to himself. Hiding in one of the dark warehouses, Axel took refuge in one of the cargo holds. There, Axel could go unnoticed and be able to get some deserved rest. Leaning back against the wall of the hold, Axel closed his eyes and tried to sleep. His stomach started to growl wildly. Feeling his stomach, Axel could feel a burning sensation with his stomach acids. "I've been on the run for so long, I haven't eaten anything yet...", saying to himself. Axel hasn't even had the time to sit peacefully to have a nice warm meal in front of him.  
  
"Damn Bison...", he angrily thought to himself. Axel never realized that he would be on the same receiving end as Ken, Ryu, Guile, or Chun-Li. Since Axel had the ability to tap into psycho power and could possibly surpass the leader of Shadowlaw, he was marked for capture. Witnessing the many horrible experiments orchestrated by Shadowlaw, Axel decided to call it quits. Having no citizenship anywhere in the world, things would be extremely hard for Axel. "Axel, make it easy on yourself...", replied Crow from a distance. Crow wouldn't give up searching and he knew it. Resting up a bit, Axel waited for the right time to attack.  
  
Looking around the warehouse, Axel saw a source of light. Keeping his back to the wall, he crept slowly towards that one bright source. Seeing how it was a snack machine, Axel stepped up in front of him and placed his right palm in front. Using his bio-electricity for him, Axel was able to short circuit the snack machine. All of a sudden, snacks, candy, and sweets started to disperse. Grabbing them quickly, Axel made his way back to the cargo hold, where he would be safe for the time being.  
  
"Mmmmm, Chips Ahoy...", Axel said to himself as he smiled. Opening the small pack, Axel pulled out a cookie and began munching on it. It felt good to actually be eating something good for once. He might as well enjoy it since he can't just leave the warehouse just like that. Tossing the wrapper aside, Axel continued on eating to his heart's content. Things seemed to be fine until "Heh, heh, heh... I knew you were hiding..." could be heard. Jumping up from his place, Axel stashed all the food in his small bag. Looking around wildly, Axel knew who's voice it was.  
  
"Xavier? Damn, they sent you after me, too...", Axel said out loud. The yelling seemed to also attract Crow's attention. "Come with us, peacefully or in pieces...", Xavier replied before revealing himself. Stepping back some, Axel witnessed one of Xavier's techniques. "Cloak Reveal!!!", replied Xavier as a cloak slowly materialized. A cloaked man with a creepy looking mask appeared right before Axel. "Heh, can't show your real face?", Axel sarcastically asked. Shifting backwards some, Xavier's eyes started to glow bright red.  
  
"Sergeant Axel, we are Shadowlaw's elite. You can't evade us...", he told Axel. Crossing his arms, Axel gave Xavier and cold look and said, "Well, you what I think...?" "What...?", Xavier veinly asked in response. "Psycho Wave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", Axel yelled as his hand started to become electrically charged. Making a diagonal uppercut, Axel formed a wave of psycho power and sent it towards Xavier's direction. "Ack! What the?!", Xavier yelled seconds before getting hit by that attack. An explosion erupted making a sound that immediately alerted the other two soldiers. To make things easier, Axel's Psycho Wave technique generated a burst of energy that could be detected.  
  
"Damn!", Axel said to himself as he quickly made it out of the cargo hold. Making his way out of the warehouse, it was completely pitch black outside. Only a few lights were placed outside and would be difficult to see. Slowly making his way down one way, Axel stopped and kept his back to the wall. Several footsteps could be heard coming from the opposite direction. There were many footsteps pacing back and forth away from Axel's position. Kneeling down in the shadows, Axel looked left to right and peered carefully. "Phew, just the people working the late shift at the warehouse...", saying to himself.  
  
Walking out from his place, Axel walked around like he was one of the workers. Seeing his way out, Axel headed into another dark warehouse. Upon entering, Axel slowly walked around and the lights immediately turned on. "What is this?", Axel unknowingly asked as he looked around. Looking up at Axel, was Crow. "Crow!!!!!!!!", Axel yelled at his enemy and former Shadowlaw comrade. "You thought you had us there, mate...", said Crow who was standing on the hook of a large crane. "You'll never take me in...", Axel said as he got into his stance.  
  
"You have no choice...", Crow said as he somersaulted off the hook and landed in front of Axel. Sizing each other up, Crow stood there at six food three. He had a dark red beret hat on with lieutenant bars on the patch. Both of his arms have been cybernetically enhanced by Shadowlaw's latest technology. Forearms were encased in shiny titanium alloy. Shoulders and joints were shielded by special cybernetic attached shoulder guards. Judging by these modifications, Crow could lift more weight or inflict more damage. On his forehead was a small triangle looking device that glowed red.  
  
Looking around him, several Shadowlaw soldiers popped up aiming their automatic weapons ready to kill Axel. "Damn... Not like this...", Axel thought to himself. "Don't shoot, Bison wants him alive.", Crow replied to the soldiers and continued on, "Beat the bloody daylights out of him, but keep him alive!" There were about forty soldiers inside the warehouse ready to fight with Axel. Standing there, Axel stood firmly and motioned for the first few to attack. Two soldiers from the front rushed Axel, who quickly squatted down and executed a spinning foot sweep that went in a 360 motion.  
  
Getting back up, Axel reacted just in time as he executed a front snap kick to the gut of another soldier, with a back right elbow to a soldier approaching behind. Quickly, he spun in another circle to deliver a spinning backfist to the face of another soldier. The strength of Axel's fist was enough to shatter the soldier's helmet, which fell to pieces. Grabbing the arm of another person that just tried to attack him from behind, he tossed overhead and let go. Using the soldier's moment against him, Axel was able to take down five soldiers at once. Kicking high to the right, Axel connected with the face of another soldier and spun around to deliver a spinning hook kick to another attacker.  
  
"Psycho Drill!!!!", yelled Axel as he did his version of a Cannon drill with the assistance of psycho power, taking down another four soldiers. Leaping up, Axel quickly performed a jump crescent kick to another soldier attacking from the left. Landing, Axel rushed another soldier and speared him to the ground and then mounted himself on top. Looking at the soldier's face, Axel executed a powerful headbutt. Facing upward, Axel got up and performed a backflip just in time to avoid a soldier's knife attack. Executing a roundhouse with his right foot, Axel knocked the knife out of the hand and then executed a few left jabs and a powerful right hook.  
  
"Damn, where do we get these guys?", Crow asked himself. Forty soldiers and Axel took down nearly half of them and would not stop. Suddenly, Crow signaled for his soldiers to stop attacking. Crow was frustrated to see that his trained soldiers were no match for Axel Exley, "Dammit, must I do everything myself?", he angrily questioned his men. "Well, they do seem to take after their leader.", Axel jokingly replied. "Heh, let me show you something...", Crow calmly told Axel as he turned his back and walked a few steps, "Giga Spear!!!!!", yelling as he quickly turned around and lunged at Axel.  
  
"Shit!!!", Axel replied to Crow's sudden attack and quickly teleported to the other side. Landing on the ground, Crow did a front roll before going to his feet. "Smart move...", Crow said as he popped his back a few times. "Yeah, you're right. I've seen you do that move several times. So, I'm gonna make sure that I'm not on the receiving end...", Axel said to Crow. "My turn... Psycho Wave!!!!!!", Axel loudly replied as he executed the same move on Crow like he did to Xavier. Standing there confidently, Crow used his left forearm and smacked it away. Not flinching a bit, Crow stood there as the psycho wave hit the ceiling causing debris to fall.  
  
Running right at Crow, Axel had another technique up his sleeve. "Psycho Kick!!!!", Axel yelled as he jumped and spun in a 720 degree motion as his right hook generated electro-magnetic power. "Heh... Kick Breaker!!!!", Crow yelled as he executed an all powerful front snap kick to counter Axel's move. A flash of light was generated with Axel hitting the ground. "Gah! They must've did a good job on you, Crow...", Axel replied. Slowly approaching, Crow lifted his foot up and gently placed it on Axel's chest. The weight was too much for Axel, who couldn't move an inch away now.  
  
"Checkmate.", Crow said as he looked down at Axel. Grabbing his foot with both hands, Axel could see that his legs were cybernetically enhanced too. "EM Pulse!!!!!", Axel yelled as he used his psycho power ability to short circuit Crow's foot. This move was painful on Crow, who stepped back some screaming and wincing some. "Gaahhhhh! You dirty bastard!", Crow yelled as he held his right foot in pain and hopping around. Putting his hands together, Axel charged his energy up channelling the psycho power in the form of some energy sword. "Psycho Gaia!", Axel yelled as he swung his psycho power energy blade at Crow's chest. The power short circuited Crow's body, who could do nothing but wince and wiggle in pain.  
  
Slowly rising up, Axel channeled his psycho power for his super technique. Looking at Axel carefully, the soldiers started to retreat as four men had to carry an immobilized Crow out. "I'll get you, Axel!!!!", Crow yelled before getting whisked away. Electrical charges started to generate outside of Axel's body. His heart was beating faster and faster with the surge of energy going through him. Charging up to his maximum, Axel screamed in pain and agony. The screams could be heard throughout the whole warehouse district. "Psycho Breaker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", Axel yelled at the top of his lungs as he quickly kneeled down slamming his right fist into the ground.  
  
Channeling his psycho power, Axel started to make the ground shatter as the support above started to shake. Almost collasping, Axel used the rest of his strength to make it out of the warehouse. The damage has already been done as the move had done its job. Making it out just in time, Axel turned around to see the whole warehouse collaspe right in front of him. His face was extremely sweaty, but all he cared about right now was food. Taking out a bag of chips from his bag, Axel ripped it open and started to eat the contents. "Damn, I gotta leave Hong Kong fast.", Axel thought to himself. Leaving the warehouse, Axel quickly ran down the docks as he leaped off and landed inside a cargo hold of the ship that just left. Laying there, Axel closed his eyes for some much needed sleep and rest.  
Seoul, South Korea-  
  
"Wonhee, what the hell's wrong with you?!", Rhee angrily asked his friend; Wonhee, who layed on the thick blue mat of their dojo. Standing there with his arms crossed for a minute, Rhee turned around and slowly walked to his chair. On top of the wooden chair, was his water bottle and towel. Picking up his bottle, Rhee took a few sips and dried the sweat off his face with the towel. Placing them back down on his seat, Rhee turned back to see Wonhee still laying there in a daze. "Wonhee? Hello?", asked Rhee as he approached his friend and sparring partner.  
  
Adjusting his gi some, Rhee approached and looked down at Wonhee, who still laid there in some sort of daze. Now noticing Rhee, Wonhee blinked some and looked towards his friend. "Oh hey, Rhee!", Wonhee quickly blurted out. Shaking his head some, Rhee was somewhat disappointed in Wonhee today. "Dammit, Wonhee!", Rhee went off as he walked a few steps away from Wonhee, who leaped back up. "What?", asked Wonhee. "Nevermind, go back to what you were just doing...", Rhee said as he attacked the punching bag with a few roundhouse kicks.  
  
"You mean, going back to fantasizing about Quan?". Wonhee accidentally blurted out and then added, "I mean, nothing!!!!" Hearing the name Quan, Rhee turned around and looked back to Wonhee. "What's this about Quan?", Rhee asked as his eyes grew suspicious towards Wonhee. "Nothing...", Wonhee replied to Rhee. "Spit it out, Wonhee.", Rhee replied as he executed a spinning hook kick. "It's nothing, Rhee...", Wonhee told his sparring partner. "Fine, have it your way.", Rhee replied as he went back to his kicking. Immediately, Rhee turned back and threw off his Tae Kwon Do gi shirt and approached Wonhee. "If you won't tell me, I'll have to beat it out of you...", replied Rhee as he was getting ready to kick Wonhee's ass.  
  
"Whoa, really you don't need to know.", Wonhee replied as he got up and backed away from his soon to be agressive partner. Spinning in a 360 degree motion, Rhee executed a swift and powerful side kick to Wonhee's gut. As Wonhee shielded his gut and bent down some, Rhee took advantage executing a series of roundhouse kicks to the head area using his right foot. Jumping up, Rhee performed a jump roundhouse kick to Wonhee's head as he landed afterwards. After that last attack, Wonhee fell to the mat and rolled a bit. "Like I said, you can tell me...", Rhee coldly replied wanting to know what Wonhee said.  
  
"I can't...", Wonhee said as he slowly got up and dusted himself off and then getting into his stance. "Fine, then I'll stop pestering you if you can kick my ass.", Rhee offered as he got into his front stance. Both men charged at each other with Rhee delivering the first few blows; a right straight punch that Wonhee blocked high; a spinning hook kick, that was ducked under; and a high kick, countered by Wonhee's roundhouse kick. "Tornado Barrage!!!!!", yelled Wonhee as he jumped at Rhee, drilling both feet into him and then following up with a jump crescent kick.  
  
Stumbling back a bit, Rhee turned around and executed a back thrust kick to Wonhee before landing. Hitting the ground, Wonhee spun around in a breakdance motion before getting to his feet and then executing another one of his moves. "Somersault Axe!", Wonhee yelled as he somersaulted towards Rhee and then executing a powerful axe kick. Putting both hands up, Rhee blocked the kick and hit Wonhee in the chest with a front snap kick. "Multi-kick!!!!", yelled Rhee as his right foot started to glow and then lifting it up in the air and started to attack Wonhee with seven roundhouse kicks to the head, followed by a hook kick, and then using the heel of his foot to bring him to the ground.  
  
Bring Wonhee to his knees, Rhee ran at his partner and again to execute another move. "Double kick!", yelled Rhee as he jumped up and used the heels of both his feet to kick the back of Wonhee's head like he was running up a ramp. Rising up in a flash, Wonhee took his chance and executed his Axial Grind Kick as he spun around in a 180 degree motion and the leg started to draw in electrical ki and then lifting the leg slowly up as high as it could get. Spinning around in another 180 degree motion, Wonhee waited as Rhee turned around. Seeing the look of shock in his eyes, Wonhee brought the heel of the foot down as it crashed on top of Rhee's head.  
  
A bright flash of light generated through the dojo as Wonhee executed his super technique on the caught off guard Rhee. Feeling the surge of electricity going through his body, Rhee fell to the ground severely jolted. Not being able to move some, Rhee laid there and moaned in pain. Wonhee has won the match and the flash of light attracted Xu-Fia, who came rushing in. "Huh, what happened?", Xu asked as she looked around to see Rhee laying there. "Oh my god, Rhee!", yelling as she rushed to Rhee's side; looking up at Wonhee, Xu was angered. "Wonhee, what have you done?"  
  
Looking at Xu-Fia, who was dressed in her school girl uniform, Wonhee just shrugged. "Mmmmhmmmm...", he replied and then walked towards the shower room. "I'm gonna...get...that secret....out of...you......", Rhee said as he ushered all of his strength holding himself upwards with the arms. "Rhee, let me help...", Xu said as she took Rhee's right arm and helped him up. Ignoring the two, Wonhee went ahead to the showers. "What is it?", Xu asked as she walked Rhee towards his seat. "I don't know, but Wonhee was talking something about Quan. Guess he has some sort of secret.", Rhee weakly replied. "Here you go.", Xu kindly replied to Rhee as she seated him in his seat. "Thanks. Still up for that movie, tonight?", Rhee asked.  
  
Fort Jackson, South Carolina-  
  
"God dammit! Where are those little shit pickers?!", yelled the drill sergeant. There were only three squads in his platoon today. The whole third squad was missing and the drill sergeant was totally pissed off. "Everybody get down, now!", he barked, "Don't you move from the front leaning rest!" About thirty-four people lined up in formation were now in the front leaning rest. "Well, start pushing!", he kept on barking. The man wore his green camo BDU and round brown drill segeant hat. There would be hell to pay if those kids didn't show up.  
  
".... Where are those little turd tappers at?", bluntly asked the drill sergeant. "Rucker, Markson, Mendoza, Foster, Mason, Lloyd, and Andreas...", the drill sergeant said to the platoon, with no one calling out. "Mason, your ass is mine when I find you...", the man said as he walked off. "Keep pushing you bunch of fucking pussies.", he called out as he walked inside the charge of quarters office.  
  
The drill sergeant was royally pissed off to see that members of his platoon have gone missing. Suddenly, two recruits marched up and stopped in front of the doors at parade-rest. Opening the doors, the drill sergeant stepped out and stood there, staring down at the two. "State your business, fuck heads!", barked the Drill Sergeant.  
  
"Um, we found this on Markson's bunk; Drill Sergeant.", said one of the enlistees. "Give it here.", the man said as he quickly snagged the paper away. "Hmmm, martial arts tournament in New York City.", the drill sergeant said. "Get to the formation, for chow!", the drill sergeant said as he walked back into the CQ office. Walking out, he went into the Drill Sergeant's quarters and went on the computer. Typing up some stuff, the drill sergeant looked up the tournament in New York City.  
  
"So, they think they can hang with the big boys...", the drill sergeant said as he went into the storage room and got his gear together. Wearing his drill sergeant hat, the man got his knife, grenades, and assault rifle. Approaching the other members the cadre, he told them to look after the platoon while he was gone for a few days. Walking to his car, the drill sergeant drove off, leaving Fort Jackson, South Carolina. 


	2. Chapter 2 The Puppetman

Chapter 2

(A/n- I just came up with an idea for a new character. His information is below.)

Puppetman

Age- 25

Nationality- USA

Fighting Style- Puppetry and Kung-Fu

Occupation- Puppet Artist and Puppeteer

Height- 5'9

Weight- 157 lbs.

Special Moves-

Double Lightning Kick

Kikuo-Burst Kick

Holy Knight

Dark Knight

Twin Dragons

Jolly Pirate

Wild Cowboy

Spiritual Tribesman

Dark Jester

Puppet Shield

Pike Squad

Sparkling Ballerina

Toy Soldiers

Marching Nutcracker

Puppet Bomb

Puppet Trio

Harlequin's Dance

Flaming Dragon Hand

Raging Marionette

Super Moves-

Puppet Parade

Raging Marionette

Wizard Arm

Twin Harlequins

Puppet Psycho Crusher

Iron Golem

A talented puppet artist and puppeteer, who goes by the nickname "Puppetman". Learned the craft of it ever since the age of nine. Owns his own shop and works animatronics for many different companies. His fighting style combines the style of Kung-Fu and the craft of being able to control puppets with many strings. He uses his skills to entertain the kids at many centers during his freetime. A good and long time friend of T-Bone. His weapon of combat consists of the uses of many puppets. Many have special abilities.

Manhatten, NYC

Puppetman's Shop and Apartment-

It was a whole building. It looked very old but nicely furnished. On the outside, it looked like as the original design from the late 1800s. The outside was never changed and was constantly being maintained. The building was about three stories, with a workshop and store on the first floor. The store and workshop were placed in the same area.

A young man, in his mid twenties sat on the stool at the front. He could look outside the window to see the pouring rain. His name was Nicholas Miller, nicknamed "Puppetman". The reason for his nickname was due to his craft, which was crafting and using puppets. He was orphaned at a young age and was taken in by a world famous puppeteer and ventriloquist. The man's name was Phillip Miller and Nicholas adopted the name of Miller. Phillip was a kind old man in his eighties, who only cared about making the kids happy.

Learning the skill of puppetry at a young age from Phillip Miller, Nick learned the full art of puppetry. But, he decided to extend his further knowledge. With school and books, Nick learned how to make and build his very own puppets. Constantly training in this art, Nick literally poured his entire heart and soul into this craft. Many years of blood, sweat, and tears, Nick made his own workshop and went to college to study animatronics. He extended his skills to the making of mechanical puppets for many movie studios.

All around the shop were many numerous puppets. Many of different shapes and sizes. Each one was made with the same or very different material. When Phillip died four years back, Nick decided to carry on his surrogate father's legacy. Now Nick's slowly becoming a world famous puppeteer. Many themeparks in Japan and Europe ordered copies of models crafted by Nick.

But Nick has done something that other puppeteers could not accomplish. After eight years, Nick had learned to control numerous puppets at the same time. It resulted in many great puppet shows for the city. Many young children wanted to be like him. But there was more to it. Six years back, Nick studied the art of Kung-Fu. There, he met a fellow student and soon to be good friend, T-Bone.

Mastering the potential of ki, Nick became an extremely skilled martial artist. He became more formidible combine his martial arts skills with that of his trademark profession, puppetry. Using ki and precise body movements, he was able to use his assortment of puppets, dolls, and marrionettes as weapons. In martial arts magazines, he was dubbed the "Fighting Puppeteer".

Nick sat there on the stool. He was carving a wooden arm for one of his puppets. Sitting next to him was a basic looking wooden puppet without its right arm. "Don't worry, you'll get your arm soon" Nick said to the dummy. To him, they weren't just objects. They were like his own children or pieces of work. It was like each one had a part of him inside.

A couple with two kids walked by the shop. All four of them were wearing raincoats and were headed towards their car. The two kids stopped in front of the store, where they saw Nick carving and sanding the arm for his puppet. Placing the arm down in front of him, Nick stood up and pulled down one of his recent works. A puppet that looked like a little princess. The young girl in a raincoat stood in awe as Nick gave a demonstration of his talent.

Immediately, the parents stood there and watched Nick give a demonstration. Even the parents were amazed at Nick's talents in puppeteering. Taking out some more puppets, Nick continued to demonstrate what he could do. In an instant, the family entered the store. Putting the puppets away, Nick approached the family. He stood there at five foot and nine inches. Nick was a slender built man.

He didn't look like a fighter. Nick was dressed in his black work khakis, black work shoes, a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and suspenders. He had short dirty blonde hair and a short trimmed goatee. Adjusting his glasses, he looked at the couple. "Welcome to my store", Nick said and he pointed around, "Feel free to look around."

After twenty minutes, the family made their decision and looked at the little princess puppet. "Our daughter seems to like this one", said the middle aged father. He gently held the puppet in his arms. Nick looked down to see the daughter's joyful expression on her face as he simply smiled.

"Good selection, sir", Nick stated as he went to the cash register. The man's wife looked around and saw pictures of Nick and many different people. She then recognized who Nick was. "That'll be $25 dollars, sir", Nick said to the man.

"A remarkable piece of work you have created, young man", replied the man. His wife then elbowed him some; "What?", asked the man, looking at his wife.

"You have any idea on who that man is? He's Nick Miller", she said to her husband. "One of the world's most famous puppeteers."

"Yes I am. Just don't tell anybody else. Don't want reporters flooding my shop", Nick replied and laughed a bit. Taking he money, Nick placed it inside the cash register. "Have a nice-", Nick said before he was cut off. He could hear several screams coming from outside.

"Young girl's gettint attacked, call the police!", yelled the man. Looking out the window. Nick could see three women being surrounded by a group of thugs. Instead of reaching for the phone, Nick reached for a few bags.

"Call the police, I'll handle the thugs. If we just wait for the police, who knows what's going to happen to those women", Nick stated to the man. Outside, the three young girls stayed together. They were really scared to be surrounded by several armed thugs.

"You're going to be good little girls and come with us?", asked one of the thugs. Suddenly, they could hear footsteps spashing against the water. The group of thugs looked to see Nick standing there ready for combat. "Go away, this doesn't concern you", said another thug.

"Oh, but it does. You see, you're scaring away the customers. And that's not good for business. You see there's young children inside. So, they shouldn't be exposed to this stuff. If you would kindly leave-", Nick said before being cut off by one of the thugs.

"Looks like we'll have to make an example out of you", said an angered thug.

Nick just shook his head. "That's the second time that somebody cut me off...", thinking to himself. Around his arms were many strings. The thugs noticed the strings and other stuff and simply laughed.

"What's with the strings, Puppetman?", said another thug, laughing afterwards.

"It's a surprise...", Nick calmly stated. He then added, "Please, if you would leave the area."

"Get him!", yelled the leader. The first three thugs ran at Nick. Standing his ground, Nick waited as the first thug got several inches in front of him. Calmly, Nick executed a powerful front snap kick to the thug's gut. Feeling Nick's kick, the thug stumbled back. A second later, he followed up with a spinning hook kick to his head.

Crouching down, he attacked the other thug with a spinning footsweep and then followed up to hit the other thug with a back thrust kick. Raising his right foot up, it started to emit electrical energy and lightning bolts started to hit his foot. Looking at one of the thugs, Nick unleashed one of his special attacks.

"Double Lightning Kick!", yelled Nick as he attacked with a jump spin kick and followed up with an axe kick before landing. Sending electrical energy through the thug, Nick landed as he fell to the ground. The thug was slightly dazed. One of the thugs immediately got back up and charged at Nick, wanting some more.

Jumping at the thug, Nick attacked with a scissor kick that sent him back to the hard ground again. Two more thugs charged at Nick's direction. "Kikuo-Burst Kick!", yelling as his foot gathered energy. Repeatedly, Nick sent a barrage of kicks at the thugs' direction. The downed thugs got back up. They were more pissed off than ever.

Three of them immediately surrounded Nick. Looking at the odds, Nick knew he would have to unleash his arsenal or weapons. "Twin Dragons!", yelling out as he immediately pulled out two puppet-like red dragons with the strings attached to his fingers. Spinning around, he had the dragons breath out small flames.

"Gah, it burns!", yelled one of the thugs, trying to fan his ass, which was on fire. The other two thugs immediately jumped away in fright.

"Get him! We won't let some puppetman humiliate us!", yelled the leader. The rest of the thugs immediately rushed at Nick, who would have to show more of his skills.

"Wild Cowboy!", he yelled as he pulled out a medium sized puppet that looked like a cowboy. Keeping his distance, Nick used his puppets to fend off the other thugs. All of the cowboy's strings formed one string that was attached to the middle finger of Nick's right hand. Wiggling his middle finger, Nick had the cowboy fire rounds at the thugs.

"Wild Cowboy!", Nick yelled again as he summoned up another cowboy. This one was armed with a miniature shotgun. Controlling both puppets, Nick used them to fend off the thugs. At the same time, Nick used fast and powerful kicks to ward off thugs that attempted to attack from front and back. Both puppets fired off small bursts of energy at the thugs.

"What is he?", asked one of the thugs, who immediately ran off.

"Jolly Pirate!", Nick yelled, using one of his puppet strings to send out another puppet dressed as a pirate. This one was armed with a cannon. Having the pirate fire off the cannon, it sent a metal ball that connected with the groin of one of the thugs.

"Uggghhhh, fuck!", yelled the other thug, running off. Seeing how skilled a fighter with the puppets Nick was, the leader immediately gave the command to retreat. Afterwards, Nick packed up his puppets and walked inside the shop. Instead of watching Nick fight off the thugs, the young girls were looking around at the puppets.

"Wow...you did all this?", asked one of the girls. Nick nodded. Immediately, the other two girls came up to Nick holding puppets, they took a liking too.

"Ahhh, I worked several months on each one of them. I know you'll give them a good home", Nick said, going to the cash register. After taking the money, Nick put it in the cash register. After the customers left, Nick went back to his stool. He then looked at his puppet. "Oh, I haven't forgotten about you", he said to the puppet and continued to work on its right arm.

Several minutes later, a young African American man entered through. He was drenched from the heavy rain water. The man was a few inches taller than Nick. He had on black loose fit jeans, black street shoes, a white short sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up. There was a black T in the front of the shirt. He then looked at Nick. "Hey, Nick", replied the young man.

Nick simply shook his head. "T, don't drip on the floor. I just had it dried off", he replied to his friend. The man in front of him was his long time friend, T-Bone. Looking away from T-Bone, Nick continued to carve and sand the arm. "Ah, perfect", Nick said as he got a hook and attacked it to the end of the hand area. Slowly, he attached it to the puppet's body.

Tying strings together, Nick gave the puppet life as he started to move around and play with it. "Nick, you're a genius", T-Bone said. Drying himself off, he took a seat.

"So, what's up?", Nick asked, continuing to work with the puppet.

"Yeah, there's a tournament going on. I was wondering if you'd be interested...", he replied to Nick.

Looking up at T-Bone, Nick gave it some thought. "Eh, why not? I'll enter. When is it?", asking his good friend.

"This Friday", he replied to Nick. "Don't forget your little friends, Puppetman", he added. "Anyway, I'm hungry."

"Yeah, same here. It's getting late. We better get something to eat", Nick added, rubbing his tummy. Slowly and delicately, he placed his newly made puppet up on the wall.

"In the mood for Mexican?", T-Bone asked as Nick immediately shook his head.

"No, I was in the bathroom for the whole night. How about some Italian?" Nick offered. T-Bone shook his head at the thought.

"I've had Italian for the last few nights. How about some Korean?" asking. Nick refused.

"No, I can't stand the smell of kim-chi. Ick...", Nick said to his friend.

"How about that new sports restaurant in the heart of NYC?" he asked. Giving it some thought, Nick agreed.

"Good idea, I always wanted to try that place.", replying back to T-Bone. "Get dressed, man..."

Going upstairs, T-Bone got dressed and headed back down. Removing his plaid work shirt, Nick put on a black vest and got ready. Both men left the shop and locked up. The two of them immediately got on the bus, heading towards the restaurant.

At a distance, Chun-Li Xiang held some binoculars and kept an eye on both Nick and T-Bone. She knew of both the fighters. Hearing about Shadowlaw's latest activities, she was assigned to look over the numerous fighters that resided in the city.

There are many great fighters out in this world. There are those, who travel around the world, and there are others, who stay around these areas. Cities have the most well trained fighters. She remembered seeing pictures of Nick Miller aka "Puppetman".

"I'm going to have to keep close taps on those two...", Chun-Li said to herself. Calling it a night, Chun-Li stepped into her car and drove off.


End file.
